SWEACC Business & Investment Forum 2023

Program SWEACC Business & Investment Forum 2023

08:30 Registration - Welcome table available UC/SWEACC.
09:00 Forum open by SWEACC Chairman
09.05 Welcome to Uppsala and SWEACC BIF-2023 - Representative SLU/UU
09.10 Introduction of moderators

09:15 Key Note Speakers, Ministers of Trade: Policies and Strategies in attracting Business and Investment in the Agriculture and other priority areas in the sector.

10:00 Ministers Panel, Agri business and Investment in East Africa, high level Minister panel discussion moderated by Diane Gashumba, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the Nordic Countries.

10:15 Coffee break

10:30 Private initiatives in sustainable investment - Investors and Venture Capital from EKN, Elof Hansson, MTI Investment, Swedfund and TetraPak. Initiatives both from Sweden and East Africa.
11:30 East Africa represents with case studies - Chambers of Commerce and Private Sector representatives from TAHA in Tanzania, KNCCI in Kenya, PSF Uganda and PSF Rwanda talking about agribusiness with East Africa.

12:30 Lunch and network opportunity

14:00 Academic projects and joint venture opportunities.
14:30 Impact and agri business partnerships and programs.
15:00 Break Out session with coffee and tea, our break-out-topics;

- Value addition: Processing and packaging.
- Agro- Infrastructure-related project (Water and Sanitation, Energy and Waste-2-Energy, and Health) and how to finance them.
- Current Market for Agro-produce and sustainable farming and the challenges for certifications.
The importance of bankable projects, example from the region (East Africa)

16:00 Sustainable Investment and Finance with speakers from TADB in Tanzania, Uwezo Fund and Youth Enterprise Development Fund in Kenya, PSF Uganda, Rwanda Finance and Elof Hansson
17:00 Panel discussion - Synergies Sweden/EAC
17:25 Closing remarks by Diana Kiambuthi, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Sweden and Dean of the EAC Ambassadors to the Nordic Countries.
17:30 Forums end

18:00-20:00 EAC buffet dinner sponsored by Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda.

Event address for May 9th

Uppsala University

Lägerhyddsvägen 1, house 10, floor 0,
Venue: 10101, Siegbahnsalen, Ångström
Uppsala

Agricultural and food business with East Africa is not only about coffee and tea, but that is a very important market. Our aim with the 2023 business & Investment forum will be to maintain and establish connections, create new projects, as well as to provide opportunities for exchanging experiences and knowledge between Swedish and East African stakeholders on two topics:

1. Building robust and resilient agri business

Sub-topics under Agri business:

Current Market for Agro-produce

The current market for agro-produce in the EAC is largely informal and unorganized. There is a need for better infrastructure and market access to improve the trade of agro-produce.

Sustainable farming

is becoming more and more important, and there are many opportunities for investments in this area in the EAC.

Processing and packaging

of agro-products is an important step in improving the quality and marketability of these products. It is important to have access to good quality processing and packaging facilities to be successful in this market.

Export and import rules and logistics

can be a challenge for agro-produce traders. It is important to have a good understanding of these rules and procedures to succeed in this market.

2. Sustainable investment and finance

Africa is There are various sources of finance in EAC and Sweden/Nordic. There are many sources of finance available for several areas and agro-produce traders in the EAC and Sweden/Nordic countries. It is important to explore the options available and find the financing that best suits your needs. The investment and financing opportunities are to be found not only within agri business but even in infrastructure-related areas like Water and Sanitation, Energy and Waste-2-Energy, and Health. All areas with margin within the areas of SDG 2030.

Sustainable investment and finance is also a critical theme as it applies to any sector and is crucial to any Government to build sustainable growth as it helps ensure investment supports resilient economy especially at the wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. To respond to the need to finance the sustainable development goals, we have seen new stakeholders joining their efforts towards sustainable financing….. Banks, insurers, investors and Government have come together to help create a strong financial sector that serve people and planet to deliver positive impacts. We’ve seen establishment of Funds to boost Green economy, Global Fund to fight Malaria, TB and HIV.

This year’s Business & Investment Forum is intended to bring together investors, business leaders, government officials, academics, researchers, entrepreneurs, NGOs and other economic stakeholders from four participating East African Community Member countries (Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Kenya) and Sweden to discuss and establish partnerships for enhanced trade in agro-products, construction, real estate, Health, energy, technology transfer, and other investment opportunities.